Positive client update...

A client of mine has severe arthritis that can cause debilitating pain when left unchecked. 2 months ago I got him to try a gluten free, low sugar diet for one week - with the promise that his stomach would be a little flatter by the end of the trial week. ( Sidebar: if you go gluten free for even a week and then eat a bowl of pasta, you will be at least slightly constipated for 24-48 hours, and also feel sluggish for about a day. Part of the reason a low gluten, low sugar diet will help flatten your stomach is that you will eliminate waste and toxins more effectively.) Once said client completed a week and saw/felt positive results from the diet week, I then added a a pharmaceutical -grade fish oil and Pharma-grade Vitamin D twice a day. We then added a 3rd day of weight training and a 45 minute session on the Pilates Reformer while eliminating cardio (besides an occasional spin class). Weight training days are circuits comprised of multi-joint lifts, core strengthening movements and balance/mobility work. 2-4 exercises per circuit, with 1- 1 1/2 minute rest periods. We keep things moving throughout the training which helps relieve the need for him to do "cardio days". The results thus far: lost 7 lbs, much improved hip mobility, HUGE improvement in ROM of the mid-thoracic spine, +25 on bench, + 40 squat and most importantly has cut the frequency of medication in half and doesn't have to deal with the pain associated with inflammation. I'm not a doctor and you should never change meds or dosage without consulting your doctor. I just wanted to share the positive experience of one person.

Hacking your health, a lifelong journey...

I try not to write in finite terms on here. Meaning I rarely say, "if you do x then y will definitely happen for you". My rationale for this is; 1.) I'm not trying to sell a book or a product and it does me no good to dig my heals in on any one particular diet or style of training. 2.) After 11+ years in the fitness I've seen first hand that everyone's muscle fiber breakdown and metabolic type is as unique to each individual as their finger prints. 3.) Anything I believe in, and have seen work in person, has thousands of articles one Google search away with evidence to the contrary. This is why it's important that each individual does a certain amount of bio hacking. I strongly encourage everyone to keep a food log or utilize an app such as myfitpal.com to keep, track of where your kcal are coming from. It also allows you monitor macronutrient breakdown - which in my opinion needs to be addressed before worrying about micronutrients. While keeping a track of your food, you should make sure to take brief notes on how you feel the 2 hours after every meal or snack. Make notes on energy,satiety need to go to the bathroom urgently, gas, bloating, heartburn etc. Within 5 days you will see patterns in high energy and low energy and also patterns in foods that cause gas, bloating ( often indicating food sensitivities ). Now, the information about diet and exercise is coming at us from a bunch of different directions at 100 miles per hour. It can be somewhat intimidating, but should in no way serve as an excuse to not try anything. There are always those people that ask me for information about diet and then when I give my answer - which usually involves me pointing out the 18 beers, pizza and bagels are going to make it difficult to achieve weight loss goals - they quickly reply with, " yeah but my dog walker said that they heard Dr. McDummy say that beer is just carbo loading and not that bad if you limit it to 4 nights a week." These are the people that want something for nothing. They are the people that use really strong, negative adjectives to describe how they feel about their current weight/looks and then melodramatically claim that all of the existing information is "overwhelming". It's only overwhelming if you want it to be. I, on the other hand, love the process of figuring out what works for me - and then what will work for each individual client. You've probably heard that gluten isn't great for you - btw, I agree. So if you really want to know if that's true, take a week to find out if it's true in regards to you. Learn what foods contain gluten (there are hundreds of apps, the information is available within seconds at any given moment), then eliminate those foods for a week. During that time monitor your energy, take notice of how your stomach reacts, do you have less mucus, has your joint pain diminished, measure yourself around the belly button before and after. Then take a week to do this with dairy, different ratios of macronutrients at all of your meals etc... You should also learn how to monitor tangible physical results while experimenting with different exercise programs. We all have different breakdowns of fast twitch and fast twitch muscle fibers. So any programs that claim their way is the only way, and will get everyone their desired results, is totally gas-bagging and probably has a bridge they'd like to sell you. Exercise programs should be given at least 4-8 weeks. This takes time. This where I think working with a professional really becomes valuable- especially if you have a time sensitive goal. This should serve as an interesting ongoing process throughout your life's journey. Figuring out what combination of food and exercise is going to result is the best version of yourself, is so incredibly exciting. You just have to want to see it that way... To really stop and realize that health is a gift and needs to be cultivated like a garden. It's now 230 in the morning, this was meant to be 2 paragraphs, but this shit excites me, and I hope that it excites even 1 person that reads this - if it does, then me falling asleep at work tomorrow will feel worth it. Keep the emails and feedback coming, it means so much to me and it's an absolute joy and honor to help you.

New name. New company. New location.

I am beyond excited to announce that Bellator Fitness and Health is now The F.I.T Lab Inc and our new location is 550 Observer Highway in Hoboken (corner of Newark and Madison ). F.I.T stands for; Functional. Integrated. Training. Our mission is to create a tight-knit community of healthy and fit individuals dedicated to reaching goals. My job as owner and president, is to make sure that myself and the other trainers help you reach your goals, safely and effectively, by teaching not yelling. Since the inception of Bellator Fitness, I've been grinding out weeks filled with one-on-one sessions scattered all over Hoboken and Manhattan. From January 2010 until August 2011, I was in constant pain from a neck injury that lead to chronic migraines, almost daily. My doctors urged me to go on disability numerous times. I moved to my beach house an hour away in order to have surgery and actually lived down there and commuted back and forth, beginning one week after the procedure. I refused to take time off or give up clients so that I could keep working towards this day and owning a space like this. After years of research and learning from my mentors, I've decided to change my business model to better suit the current economic climate and to create an environment where our clientele can best give support and be supported. Thus, on April 1st I will unveil a full schedule of semi-private training a small conditioning classes. Most research indicates that clients get better results when working with others and this also allows me to have a much lower price point that the local gyms that only do one-on-one training. So not only will clients save hundreds of dollars a month by training with 2-4 other dedicated individuals, but they will get the results of private training while getting much, much more individual attention than they would at a Crossfit or a niche gym that only does classes. I will post pictures and more details later this week after the brand new equipment gets delivered. I will still be doing a full load of private training for the month of March and private training will always be available, just during off-peak hours. Please email gmorrone301@gmail.com with any questions.

PPNF Health Guidelines...

1.) Whenever possible eat fresh, non-GMO foods that are organic, locally-grown, unprocessed, and whole. For example: Fresh fruits and land and sea vegetables, in season. Whole grains: traditional wheat (kamut, spelt, emmer) rye, barley, oats, millet, quinoa, amaranth, teff, buckwheat, rice, and corn (soak, sprout grains or sour-leaven flour). Nuts (raw): walnuts, peanuts, Brazil nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews, coconuts, macadamia nuts, and pine nuts. Legumes: peanuts, soaked beans, chickpeas, lentils and peas Seeds (raw): sunflower, pumpkin, flax, and sesame. Raw (unprocessed) whole milk and butter from healthy animals; cultured yogurt, kefir, sour cream and cheeses. Animal proteins from pastured animals: poultry, beef, lamb, game, organ meats, eggs; wild fish and seafood. Prepare homemade meat stocks from bones of naturally raised chicken, beef, lamb, or fish and use liberally in soups and sauces. 2.) Avoid foods with additives and preservatives. 3.)Use traditional fats and oils : Fats: butter, ghee, lard, goose/chicken fat Oils: olive, coconut, palm, and minimally processed seed and nut oils (no cottonseed or canola) Use unrefined inland and sea salt with no additives. 4.) Enjoy sweeteners in small amounts from unrefined and natural sources. 5.) Drink and cook with pure, non-chlorinated, unfluoridated water. Avoid using water stored in plastic bottles. 6.)Drink herbal teas and fermented beverages. Cook and bake in glass, ceramic, porcelain, seasoned cast iron, or stainless steel instead of aluminum, silicon or non-stick cookware. 7.) Store food in glass instead of plastic containers, bags, or wraps. 8.) avoid using products that contain fragrances around food (hand and dish soap, lotions, air fresheners). 9.) Get plenty of sleep, exercise, and natural light. 10.) Think positive thoughts and minimize stress. 11.) Practice forgiveness. 12.) Optimal health is not merely a matter of good nutrition. Making a conscious effort to eat well is a decision we make daily once we have decided to “get healthy.” We often neglect to add other necessities to our busy schedules. Proper rest, exercise, and exposure to natural light are extremely important as are good emotional and mental health. Thinking positive thoughts, reducing stress, and practicing forgiveness can go a long way toward improving overall health.

Useful apps for your smartphone and IPad...

One of my New Year's resolutions is to stay ontop of this blog. I consistently update my Facebook Company page - www.facebook.com/bellatorfitness so please make sure to Like my page so that you get useful health and fitness tips almost daily. Below is a list of apps to help you navigate eating healthy and aids you in eliminating common excuses to not exercise. I do NOT use all of this apps, and I don't believe any of these apps render me and my services unnecessary, I just genuinely want people to lead healthier lifestyles. I tell people all of the time that they don't need to pay me to get healthy, they just have to make the time to use the insanely vast amount of information readily available to everyone about healthy living and exercising with limited access to equipment and shortage of time. I hope you find this list useful and would love to hear about any other apps that you find useful. 1.) Superfood HD - covers 44 "super foods" and their health benefits, nutrients, recipes, growing storing and planting. Cost: $1.99 2.) Fooducate - use the scanner to scan barcodes of packaged foods to find out the food's nutritional "report card" - which breaks down the food's sugar content, fiber content, macronutrients breakdown and the assigns it a grade from A - F. It also advises you of healthier food options available. Cost: Free 3.) Calorie Counter by Mynetdiary - you input what you eat and it's give you the protein, fat and carbohydrate breakdown. You set your weightless goals and the app will help you monitor you caloric intake and advise you what you can eat within your calorie guidelines and still make progress. Cost: $3.99 for the pro version. 4.) WebMD - input your symptoms and/ or ailments and find out what your condition might be - just don't go crazy with self-diagnosing - if you're anxiety prone, maybe just go see a doctor and skip this app. Gives you first aid advice and an Rx drug list. Cost: Free 5.) Is That Gluten Free? Tells you what restaurant menu items have gluten and which ones don't . Cost: $3.99 6.) INRFood - another app that utilizes a scanner that allows you to scan barcodes in the grocery store and flags unhealthy ingredients and make alternative recommendations. Cost: Free 7.) FitnessBuilder Plus - 750 prebuilt exercise programs and 5,600 individual exercises. Has tools to help measure progress. Cost: $9.99 per month 8.) Gain Fitness - reminds you to exercise you and shames you when you don't. Helps you build customized programs based on your time restraints and what equip is available to you. 9.) Pocket Yoga - walks you through yoga routines in your home or hotel room. Has ambient music to listen to during your routine. Cost: $2.99 10.) Full Fitness - 100 body weight exercises that help eliminate your excuse that you don't have enough time to exercise. Very helpful tool for those who travel for business. Cost: $.99

The Benefits of Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil

Fish oil prevents second heart attacks better than any drug it was tested against!


Fish oil is probably the best "medicine " available to prevent sudden cardiac death!


Fish oil makes aspirin's "blood thinning" benefits look like a joke. Not only that, those who cannot tolerate aspirin will have no problem with the taste of Pharmaceutical Grade Fish Oil (not to be confused with normal grade fish oil bought in stores - which does leave a bad after-taste).


Fish oil has been used effectively in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease.


Fish oil improves memory, I.Q. and helps obliterate age related memory lapses.


Fish oil helps people with multiple sclerosis.


Fish oil plays a key role in brain development. In a Scottish study conducted with young children, fish oil improved cognitive and visual skills - making them smarter than kids who did not use it!


Fish oil lowers blood pressure. In know this for a fact as several years back when I went on this longevity quest (after being diagnosed with high blood pressure) I used it successfully on myself. Then I gave it to my mother and it helped her, too. Then I gave it to my patients with the same result.


Fish oil reduces the incidence of stroke caused by clotting of brain blood vessels!


Fish oil lowers triglycerides and raises good HDL cholesterol, reducing the risk of heart disease.


Fish oil is a very potent anti-oxidant and one of the few that cross the blood-brain barrier. I call it the ultimate anti-oxidant and in many cases, the only one you may need!


Fish oil improves personality, mood, and mental disorders!


Fish oil is a potent natural anti-depressant!


Fish oil improves the health of cartilage and joints!


Here is a "short list" of the health benefits of pharmaceutical grade fish oil as written by a famous anti-aging doctor.

If you'd like to learn more about the best pharmaceutical fish oil blended supplement, and how to order please feel free to reach out.

You canNOT find pharmaceutical grade nutritionals at your local GNC or Vitamin Shoppe - which is why I am now a representative for a few of the absolute best manufacturers in the world. All orders placed through me are accompanied by an email with how to maximize results through proper diet and exercise.


Fish oil improves the ratio of testosterone to its metabolite, DHT, and in studies was shown to be useful in treating prostate, breast and colon cancers.


Because fish oil simultaneously improves hormone levels and improves the health of your joints, this makes it the perfect anti-aging supplement as well as a superb supplement for athletes, speeding recovery time from hard workouts!


Fish oil balances hormonal levels in the body, which has many benefits - one of which is a much sounder, deeper sleep, so that you wake up in the morning feeling totally refreshed and invigorated!


Fish oil reduces inflammation in the lungs and can be used to treat allergies, asthma and eczema.

Pharmaceutical Grade vs Store Bought Vitamins

PHARMACEUTICAL GRADE

Produced at the same high standards as the production process of prescription drugs.

1.) Exact dosage that is listed on the label. Does not vary from pill to pill.

2.) Each ingredient is inspected before production.

3.) Supplement must dissolve and be absorbed within 45 minutes - This is wildly important.


FOOD GRADE ( STORE BOUGHT )

Loose standards and barely regulated. If the product doesn't cause physical harm, it most likely will be allowed to be put on the shelves with unsubstantiated claims.

1.) Dosage varies. Think of a pepperoni pizza from Dominoes. Not every slice will contain the same number of pepperoni slices and therefore wont contain the same number of calories, nutrients etc. Everything varies from slice to slice - in the case of nutritional supplements, pill to pill.

2.) Ingredients do NOT require inspection. Companies do not inspect each ingredient before they make a pizza ( contaminants may find their way into products ).

3.) No absorption requirement. Products can take hours to dissolve, thereby not providing the benefits they claim. Many vitamins are passed out of the system with waste 70 % undigested.



In short, pharmaceutical grade supplements must meet the USP, or the United States Pharmacopoeia standards. The USP provides assurance to consumers of the purity of the capsule. It must contain in excess of 99% of the ingredients stated. In addition to this, the bioavailability is much higher in pharmaceutical based supplements than that of store or food grade vitamins.
I would warn you, however, to make sure that the pharmaceutical grade vitamins that you choose, are whole-food based. This will ensure the bioavailability into your system and this is what it is all about!

Choosing a vitamin or nutrient supplement is going to be imperative for your life today and into the future. Choosing one with phytonutrients, one that includes ingredients that reduce inflammation and help detoxify the liver, and one that includes micro nutrients such as vitamins and chelated minerals, will help you maintain the blueprint of your health!


So are our vitamins what they say they are? Many brands of vitamins, that are store-grade, are by law, allowed to contain as little as 20% of what they say they are in a tablet. If you are serious about supplementation, make sure you purchase pharmaceutical grade supplements, which are over 99% of what they say they are!

To read in more detail about how food grade vitamins trick consumers and find out how inaccurate labels can be, I invite you to read the follow article : http://www.preventivemedicineps.com/Diet-and-Nutrition/vitamin-industry-fraud.html